From London to Chicago
by janinemayjames
Summary: Firehouse 51 has been fractured by everything they have been through. Can someone from Casey's past be the one to bring them back together?
1. Chapter 1

From London to Chicago

Casey has been struggling for a while until an unexpected visit from his past comes along. Perhaps they can save each other.

Firehouse 51 had had a difficult call. Two children had been killed in a house fire after a badly fitted gas pipe exploded. Brett had left to go get married to the Chaplin and they were still mourning the loss of Otis.

Even though it had been three months, it was still tough on all of them. The whole house had decided to head to Molly's to blow off a bit of steam.

Casey and Foster were stood at the bar when Foster noticed a gorgeous brunette that had been staring their way for a little while. She nudged Casey and whispered to him to check out the girl at the end of the bar. Casey looked up and caught the girl's eye.

After a minute of thinking he said "I think I know here from somewhere"

"Really? Well there's your cue I guess!"

Casey hasn't had much luck with love recently. His marriage to Dawson had fallen apart when she moved to Cuba, Naomi had moved away, and now Brett had gotten engaged and left. He let out a sigh.

"I don't know Foster. Maybe I just need to be my own person for a while"

"God Matt, I'm not suggesting you marry the girl, just go find out if you know her or not!"

Casey thought for a second and was just about to go over when he looked up and realised the girl was heading his way.

She stopped next to him and stared at him for a second longer before saying anything. Then, at the same time, they both said "Do I know you from somewhere?"

The girl laughed this infectious laugh that lit up her face like nothing Casey had seen in a while. Suddenly this memory came back to him but it was foggy.

The girl spoke. "It's the end of a long hot summer. An 18 year old guy walks in to a bar in central London and orders a round of drinks for his friends. The girl behind the bar smiles at his accent and serves him the round. The guy makes sure to order his rounds with her for the rest of the night. They talk, they flirt and when it's time to close up, he leaves but not before looking over his shoulder and shouting..."

"...Hey London! Call me when you come to Chicago!" Casey said, finishing her story, remembering the whole night like it was yesterday.

"Well remembered" the girl said in a soft English accent.

"This is Foster by the way. She's a colleague"

The girl turned and shook Foster's hand. "Nice to meet you"

"Let me get you a drink" Casey offered but the girl stopped him.

"I actually have to go, I start a new job tomorrow so need to call it a night"

And with that, the girl walked away, but just as she got to the door she turned and shouted back at Casey,

"Hey Chicago, call me!" She said as she gestured to a card on the bar top. Her number was scrawled on the back.

"Well. She's cute! She didn't mention her name though, what is it?"

Casey thought for a second and realised that he didn't actually know her name.

"I have no idea. I just called her London and she called me Chicago"

Foster laughed out loud and nearly choked on her beer.

"Well now you have her number so probably the first thing you should find out is her name. Wanna tell me the whole bar in London story?"

"I'd spent so many summers working to save money so I could go travelling. It kept me out of the house. My mum preferred me to be out so I was away from how abusive dad could get. I wanted to protect her but she wanted to keep me busy. So when I finished school me and some friends decided to go do some travelling in Europe. None of us had a huge amount of money so it was never gonna be a long trip but it was good to get away. We finished up in London and since the drinking age there was 18 we made the most of it. We walked in to this bar and I offered to get the first round in. London was serving. I couldn't help but stare. She was doing all these crazy tricks with the bottles and creating all these multi-coloured shots. It was insane. She ended up serving us most of the night and we flirted...a lot! But we had to go back to the hotel to pack up so we left. And you know what I said when I left"

"Smoooooth!"

"Hey! I thought I was the best thing she'd ever seen!"

"Well you obviously made an impression, that was over 15 years ago and she still remembers you!"

"Yeah, I guess. Just wonder what she's doing in Chicago"

"You'll have to call her and find out!"


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

Casey had not slept well that night so had gotten to the firehouse early. All he had thought about was London. He really needed to message her today and find out her real name. He was shaken out of his thoughts by Severide knocking on the door of his office at the Fire House.

"Wanna tell me about that girl last night?"

"You saw that huh?"

"You get her number?"

Casey didn't say anything, just held up the card he'd had in his hand. Severide grabbed it from Casey's hand and excitedly punched his friend on the arm at the same time.

"Do you know what she's doing here?"

"No. I just stared at her number for a bit and then put it in my pocket. I got caught up telling Foster how I knew her from travelling to London years ago"

Casey looked at Severide for a second and recognised the slight side smirk on his face.

"What do you know?"

"Noting bud. Come on, we've got briefing"

Boden stood up in front of 51.

"Listen up 51. There's going to be a couple of crew changes starting today. This wasn't supposed to be for another few weeks so

I'm sorry that this will come as a bit of a surprise but I know that this house will embrace it so hear me out. Joe Cruz has made a request to go back to truck and take Otis's seat as driver. Casey and Severide have signed off on it so we're good to go. The delay was due to finding a replacement in Squad. But Cruz's replacement will start today so everybody, please welcome Annabelle Clarke"

Casey looked up to see the new recruit walking through the door and his face dropped. It was London. She caught his eye and smiled.

Foster turned to look at Casey and Casey turned to look at Severide who was trying hard, but failing to keep a straight face in the corner.

"Please call me A.J. Annabelle makes me feel like I'm in trouble!"

"Welcome to 51"

"Thanks! Looking forward to working with, what I understand is the best house in Chicago"

The alarms put paid to anymore "getting to know you" moments.

"_Engine 51, Truck 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Structure fire 1315 Plymouth"_

Everyone made their way to their uniforms and the firehouse peeled out and sped towards the fire.

***Truck 81***

"Hey Casey, isn't that the girl you were talking to last night?" Cruz asked.

"Yeah. Had no idea she was joining 51 though. I knew that the Chief and Severide has signed off on your replacement but I was on furlough when she interviewed. We met when I was travelling around Europe about 20 years ago. She was working in a bar I was drinking in"

"First girl on Squad"

"And what of it Cruz?" Stella piped up from the back.

"Nothing of it Kidd. I think it's great"

"That's what I though!"

Casey smiled at the laughter. It had been too long since Joe Cruz had had a genuine smile on his face.

About a month ago, Joe had come to Casey asking if he could take Otis's place on Truck. Even if it was just for a little while. Joe had felt that it would mean he kept a little part of Otis with him whilst on call. Casey was fine with it. The whole house knew how much Joe had struggled with losing his best friend and they wanted to see him happy, but it had taken a little while to find a replacement for Squad. And now, here they were, with a small part of Casey's past coming back and helping them all move forward.

***SQUAD 3***

"So A.J, how'd you end up in Chicago?" Capp asked.

"I was born here and my dad was born here and has lived here his whole life. My mum met him when she was young and they got married pretty quickly. But it didn't work out so when I was about 4, I moved to London with my mum. She kept me busy with gymnastics, swimming, diving, rock climbing, and self-defence classes. She tried to get me to give up my dual-nationality but I wanted to keep it. I joined the London Fire Brigade at 18 and worked my way up to Crew Manager which is the same rank in London as Severide. Then I trained in Specialist Rescue. Unfortunately I lost my mum 18 months ago so made the decision to move back to Chicago with my Dad"

"Sorry to hear about your mom" Severide said.

"S'ok. I miss her a lot but I'm glad to be back here with my Dad"

Before anyone could say anything else, they were at the fire. A block of flats was ablaze and some of the residents were trapped on the top floor.

Casey, Severide and Hermann gave their orders to their crews. Truck and Squad made their way inside the blaze to clear each floor.

Severide and A.J were on the top floor guiding the trapped residents out the windows to the ladders waiting for them. Most of them had smoke inhalation and some minor burns but thankfully none were severely injured.

Truck had cleared the other floors and were helping Engine tackle the blaze. Severide was out the window and following the residents down when A.J shouted out.

"Severide, I think I heard something in the bathroom"

"Wait, I'm coming back"

A.J heard a cry from the other side of the bathroom door and ran towards it just as Severide got back through the window. As his feet hit the floor he felt the joists shift. The fire was basically out but the heat and water must have weakened the beams.

"A.J! We have to get off this floor. It's not gonna last long!"

A.J came out of the bathroom with a small child, not more than 2 years old. Severide quickly took the child off A.J and handed her off to Cruz who had climbed up to help. Severide climbed through the window and A.J was about to do the same when the floor went.

"A.J!" Screamed Kelly. Severide scrambles back through the window and managed to grab hold of her turnout coat.

"Sev, let me go, it's ok!"

"Are you crazy?! You could go through another floor!"

"I've got it, just let me go otherwise I'm gonna drag you down with me! I'll be fine!"

Severide struggled with what he was being told.

"I can't!"

"You can. Listen to me Kelly. Let one hand go, then the other. Please! Trust me!"

Kelly clung on to A.J. He was not about to lose another firefighter on his watch. Especially on her first day.

"No! Let me pull you up!"

"For god's sake Kelly!" A.J. Shouted. She pulled one arm away from Severide's grip so she was swinging on one arm.

"Let. Me. Go" she screamed through gritted teeth, using momentum to swing away from Kelly, her other arm slipping from his grasp as he shouted out to her. A.J hit the floor at an angle and let her legs go out from underneath her. To Severide's surprise, instead of hitting the floor head on, she skidded across it. Kelly held is breath for a second as A.J. lay still for a moment before pulling herself up. A.J stood up, and without a second's hesitation did the a gymnastics pose like when a gymnast finishes a routine.

Kelly shook his head, smiled and called out to her that he'd meet her outside. Kelly climbed back out through the window and A.J worked her way down the burnt out stairs carefully before coming out the front door.

A.J paused when she saw Kelly striding towards her looking angry.

"You're a smartass , you know that?" Kelly said with a glint in his eye like he didn't really mean it.

"Well, the British do make the best villains"

Severide laughed. "You ok? You look like you caught your knee"

A.J hadn't even noticed. She looked down and poured when she saw the hole in her trousers.

"That's too bad. I look so cute in this outfit!" She laughed. "I'm fine. Nothing more than a scratch!"

"Let's get back to 51"

"You betcha" A.J said with a salute.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"A.J, a word?" Boden bellowed when the crews got back to the firehouse.

"Sure"

A.J followed Boden in to his office.

"Close the door"

"Sir"

"It's Chief"

"Sorry, force of habit"

"No problem. Hell of a save with that little girl. The hospital called and said she'll be just fine."

"Good to hear. Am I in some kind of trouble Chief? I know I caused a problem with Severide"

"You know about Otis?"

"I'd heard. I'm truly sorry for your loss"

"Thank you. Before we found you and Joe asked to transfer, Casey found a replacement for Truck. I shut it down as I felt that his heroics were dangerous and selfish and that is not what this house needs right now. I just need to know that, despite your very clear talents, you won't put yourself or the rest of this house in any unnecessary danger. I can't lose another member of this house"

"I understand Chief. I only did what I did as I knew that Severide's position would allow him to pull me up without me dragging him down with me. I knew it would be safer for him to let me go. I was always told, "don't let yourself fall unless you know how to land". I would have never done it if I thought I was putting myself or anyone else in harms way. I'm sorry if it came across like that. It won't happen again"

"Glad to hear it. Dismissed"

"Chief"

A.J was heading back to the common room when Casey pulled her to one side.

"You ok?"

"Yeah, fine, why?"

"Figured Boden might have chewed you out over your decision to let yourself fall"

"He was ok. I explained my reasoning and he understood. Just wanted to make sure I didn't do anything stupid"

"This house is hurting right now A.J. He's just looking out for us, that's all"

"Trust me, I understand. I've lost a member of my crew. I know how hard that is to deal with. Especially for those in charge"

"Sorry to hear you've lost someone as well"

"Thanks. It was a few years ago now but it took time for my team to heal. You guys are a family, I can see that. It'll get easier though, I promise" A.J said. Then, without thinking she leaned up and gave Casey a kiss on the cheek. She blushed beet red immediately.

"Sorry. I, uhmm. Sorry"

Casey didn't say anything and let A.J walk away. He touched his cheek where A.J had kissed him and smiled to himself.

The rest of the shift, unusually, went without another call. The crews discussed it and it was arranged to have a proper welcome party for A.J at Molly's that evening.

Most of the house was gathered around A.J asking her questions about London and the London Fire Brigade and her life before moving to Chicago. Casey watched tears fill her eyes as she discussed the loss of her crew member, Derek, and the fire they had faced, then again when she discussed her mum's passing. He felt is heart swell when she laughed and joked about the stupid things she'd done and the pranks her crew played on each other.

As he watched and listened intently, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Severide.

"You stare and harder and you'll burn a hole in the back of her head!"

Casey laughed but couldn't really say anything. Severide was right, but he couldn't help himself. This girl filled him with nostalgia and warmth and love with just enough badass to keep him intrigued.

The house continued to tell stories including getting Casey and Severide to tell her about when they made the decision to jump off the roof into the river.

"Thanks for tonight everyone. It's been amazing but I am exhausted! And we're all on shift again tomorrow!"

"Ma'am, yes ma'am" Said Severide.

"Now who's the smartass?!"

"Walk you home?" Casey asked.

A.J paused for a second thinking about what happened earlier. "Sure. Thanks"

Everyone said goodnight as Casey and A.J left them to finish up their drinks.

"Which way?"

"Two blocks that way" A.J said pointing to the right.

"Let's go"

A.J listened as Casey talked about what he'd been through recently. She could tell he was struggling with a few things but couldn't help not really taking it all in. There was a few things going on in her head as well that she was trying to work through.

"You ok?" Casey asked.

"Yeah. I'm ok. Just been a bit bittersweet tonight. Getting to know everyone and learn more about you all, but having to recall some of the harder bits was difficult"

"I'm sorry"

"What for?"

"All their questions, no one was trying to upset you. Guess it was just nice for them to take their minds off everything else"

"It's fine. Maybe, in some strange way, we'll help each other out here"

"Maybe."

"Plus I totally didn't notice you staring at me!"

"You noticed that huh?"

"It's fine. It's been a while since anyone looked at me like that. After mum passed I felt so alone. I'd been in a relationship for a long time with police officer but his temper turned darker than his hair"

"He hurt you?"

"Not physically. Although that might have been easier almost. It was all psychological. He ground me down over time to the point where I got up, went to work, did my job and came home. Nothing else. He cut me off from my friends, my family. Convinced me it was my fault that Derek died. That somehow, I must have been responsible"

"From what you said though, there was nothing you could have done. It's nobody's fault the landlord was illegally storing gas canisters in the basement"

"He saved my life Casey. That's the bit I struggle with the most. He literally gave up his life to save mine." A.J stopped as felt the tears well in her eyes and barely contained herself.

Casey knew in an instant how upset she was and drew her in to a hug, kissing her on the top of her hair. It was like electricity pulsed through them, each drawing off the others strength and warmth. Before either of them knew it, they were embraced in a kiss that felt like it lasted a lifetime, but A.J pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked, a little dejected.

"Nothing. Casey, I've often thought about you over the years. Wondering if it was somehow meant to be. After ending up in your firehouse, I feel like I was right but if this is going to go anywhere, I need to to go slowly. And I think you do to. We've both been through a lot in the last couple of years and I'd be devastated if we rushed into something that didn't work out"

Casey's big blue eyes watched intently as he soaked up every word she said. She was right and he knew it but it didn't make it any easier to hear. A.J shivering brought him out of his thought process.

"You're freezing. Let's get you home"

A.J didn't say anything but took Casey's hand and didn't let go till they got to her front door.

"Thanks for tonight Casey, I really had a good time"

"Yeah, me to" Casey said, smiling down at her. He gave her another quick kiss and left her to get inside. He heard a dog barking and her telling 'Thames' to be quiet. He smiled to himself and started walking back on himself to get back home.


	4. Chapter 4

***CHAPTER 4* 6 months later.**

Casey and A.J has grown much closer over the months that had passed, often just staying at each other's apartments, enjoying every second they spent together.

Boden knew they were a couple and strictly shouldn't be working together and he knew about Severide and Stella but what happened in his house stayed in his house. He'd deal with it if it got any more serious but for now, he was letting it go, glad that Matt was happier than he had been in a long time.

The first night they slept together had been slightly awkward when they caught sight of each other's scars from different injuries. It led to more talking and admitting the horrible things they had faced. They had kissed each other's scars and that turned into a night of exploring each other's bodies. They awoke with the sunrise and as Casey looked down at this incredible woman, her brown hair shining auburn in the morning sunlight, he realised he had found what he had been missing. Someone who wanted everything he wanted, at the same pace but with the understanding that their jobs were difficult and stressful and sometimes the other just needed to let off steam or have space.

There had been a few close calls for both of them over the months and it had been difficult for the other to remain impartial and not endanger themselves or any of the others just to help, but they had managed it.

The crews were sat in the common room having just finished dinner between calls.

A.J hadn't really felt like eating much so had just made some toast and a cup of English tea and taken it to the couch, curling up with Tuesday on her lap.

Casey came over to check on her after he'd finished eating.

"You ok baby?"

"Yeah, I think so. Just can't shake that hinkey feeling that something isn't right. Don't really know what, or why. But it's the same feeling I got before the shout that got Derek killed"

Casey didn't answer, he just sat down next to her and let her curl up in his arms. He kissed her on the top of her head and whispered that everything would be OK, he promised.

"Don't make promises you can't keep Casey" he heard her whisper. It was barely audible but he'd heard it all the same.

Derek had said the same thing before they went in to the warehouse that had exploded. He chastised himself for his thoughtlessness.

A.J had made a huge impression on Firehouse 51 and had raised their spirits, doing everything she could to bring the fractured house back together again.

She'd spent a lot of time with Cruz, talking through everything with him when he needed to talk. She never downplayed his thoughts and feelings, just listened and accepted and understood.

Casey had seen the difference and knew that eventually Cruz would want to go back to Squad. He'd worked so hard for that place and deserved it. He also knew that A.J wouldn't be able to transfer to Truck. Not with their relationship where it was. He shook the feeling off. Cruz hasn't said anything about going back to Squad so he wouldn't think twice about it again unless Cruz said something. Selfishly, he didn't want to think of the day when there wasn't a place for A.J at 51.

They were both broken out of their own thoughts when the alarms sounded. Car accident, Franklin Street Bridge. 12 cars. It was a bad one. The rain over the past few days had been non-stop, making for atrocious road conditions. From the report, there was an electrical short in the mechanism that raised the bridge and it had started to rise with cars on it. Several cars had to stop abruptly and they piled into each other.

Truck, Squad, Engine, Ambulance. Firehouse 51 was racing through the streets towards the Franklin Street Bridge.

They arrived on scene and it was a mess. Three cars were on their roof, one was on fire and two were almost a single tangled mess of metal. They knew the drivers would be black tagged so, as much as they hated it, they'd had to leave them till last.

Everyone had their orders and they got to work, cutting victims out and getting them on to waiting ambo's. More support came from other companies.

A.J was working with Kelly and Capp to extricate the driver from one of the vehicles on its roof when she heard the shout that send a frozen wave through her veins. It had come from Kidd.

"CASEY!"

A.J looked to Kelly. Kelly nodded at her to go, calling Tony over to assist Capp before running after her. That was his best friend and every possibility ran through his mind as they ran towards where Kidd was.

"Kidd? What happened?" Severide asked pulling her away from the edge of the bridge.

"The car was on the edge. As we were pulling it back, it de-stablised and slipped forward again, knocking Casey in"

A.J could see the panic in Stella's eyes. She took her by the shoulders and looked straight at her.

"Listen. This is NOT your fault. We've got this OK?"

Stella gave a nod but she wasn't convinced by what A.J was saying.

"Grab my kit bag!"

Since joining Squad, A.J had insisted on keeping a kit bag in the back of Squad's truck. He'd never actually asked her what was in it. He called for Capp to grab the bag from the back off the back of the truck, explained that Casey was in trouble and we needed it now.

As he was on the radio, A.J stripped down to a thin neoprene wet suit.

"You always wear that under your gear?" Kidd asked.

"Ever since there was a similar accident on Waterloo Bridge. We lost lives that day because we wasted time"

"A.J talk to me" Boden boomed. Kelly turned around and realised what she was about to do. Capp passed the bag to her.

"Chief, Casey is in the water. I'm going in" A.J explained quickly as she pulled two pieces of equipment out of the bag"

"Let me go A.J, it's dangerous in there. You'll freeze in that suit!" Kelly shouted over the noise.

"Kelly, I don't have time to argue. You and I both know damn well I'm the better trained to do this"

Severide looked to Boden for back up. To his dismay, he agreed with A.J. Rescue teams in the UK are specially trained for cold water, river and pot hole rescues.

He nodded to A.J to give her the go ahead.

The rest of 51 had gathered at the edge where the road met the river.

A.J lay down on the ground and dropped a box in to the water, left it in for 5 seconds and pulled it out again.

"What the hell are you doing A.J?" Severide asked angrily, not understanding why she hadn't just jumped in.

"Water speed and direction. If he hasn't gone straight down I need to know which way he's gone and how fast" she said, reading off the screen. She threw the equipment on the side, placed a light on her head and jumped in. Taking one deep breath, A.J went under the water.

The water was truly freezing, but nothing worse than the Thames in the middle of winter. The storm run-off had caused a lot of sediment to be thrown up making the river murky and difficult to see through. Using her legs only, to stop from kicking up any more sediment, A.J moved quickly knowing she'd have to come up for air soon. She hasn't spotted him so she went up quickly, took three large gulps of air and went back down. A.J had been teaching herself to free dive since she was 14 so holding her breath for longer than normal was something she could manage easily.

A.J could feel the flow of the river working for her so she knew she was heading in the right direction. Casey hadn't gone straight down but been carried by the current. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she worked quickly using the current to pull her forward.

Suddenly, her headlamp shone off a reflective strip that she recognised as the one running along the bottom of a turnout coat. She managed to cut across the flow of the river. Casey was snagged on a small storm grate that was, just about, keeping his head above the surface.

A.J came up and shouted out.

"Casey!" He didn't respond. "Shit" she thought. She reached him quickly but he was barely hanging on. His turnout gear was heavy with water. She'd never get him out on her own, even with all her training.

Using the bars on the storm grate as leverage, she pulled herself up from the water and pulled out an emergency phone which was in a waterproof pouch on the inside of the wetsuit, praising the moment she'd thought to program in Boden's number. He answered.

"Chief, we're about 3 miles down river near the Dearborn street bridge. I've got Casey, but he's in bad shape"

"We're on our way" he said and hung up the line.

A.J felt a surge of relief at finding a weak pulse.

"Casey, baby, come on. Wake up"

The cold was starting to cause her limbs to seize up. She let go of Casey quickly and moved around in the water to get everything moving again before grabbing hold of Casey to keep his head up. He was breathing but his skin was cold and clammy and his lips were blue. He wasn't far off hypothermia.

A.J was struggling to hold him up as the cold set in again but she knew she wouldn't have long when she heard the sirens.

Cruz, Kidd and Severide reached the side first. However, as if they hadn't been through enough, A.J heard a noise she had been silently praying not to hear.

A surge of storm water came rushing out of the grate they were clinging on to. At the last minute she managed to get her arms around Casey and cling on as they were drowned with freezing cold water. There was nothing she could do to keep their heads out of water but she managed to cling on until it stopped. She'd swallowed a lot of water and started coughing.

Kelly, Cruz and Kidd were stood on the side watching in horror. There was nothing they could do until the water stopped. The relief they felt when the water stopped and A.J was seen holding them both against the grate with the last remaining strength she had against the cold.

Severide threw a rope down which A.J managed to clumsily secure around the two of them and they were both pulled up.

Foster began working on Casey straight away. He had stopped breathing. A.J dropped to her knees, still struggling to catch her breath and gripped Casey's hand, pushing Brett's replacement Lucas away when he tried to treat her.

"Baby, please. Come on, come back to me"

There was a few seconds of silence as the whole crew didn't move an inch. They could not lose another brother. Especially not Casey.

Then, the sound they were all waiting for came. Casey coughed and spat out water. He was barely conscious but he was alive and that was all they needed right now. Foster and Lucas rushed Casey on to the ambo.

A.J didn't want to leave him but she needed medical treatment herself. Her adrenaline had worn off, she was shaking uncontrollably. Kidd wrapped her in silver foil and blankets and helped her on to the back of the ambo with Casey and they were rushed off to Med together with the rest of 51 following behind.

In the back of the ambo, Lucas continued to work on stabilising Casey but he became concerned when he noticed A.J's heart rate slowing down.

"A.J, honey, you still with us?"

A.J didn't respond. She couldn't. She tried but couldn't get any words out. Her world was starting to swim in front of her. She was so unbearably cold and felt like she couldn't breath properly, she began coughing up some water and then collapsed.

"Foster! A.J's deteriorating"

"I'll call ahead to med. we're almost there"

Thankfully they made it to Med quickly. Foster jumped out and round to get Casey out on the trolley and Lucas carried a now unconscious A.J in and handed them over to Will Halstead and Ethan Choi to be treated.

The Chief ran in with the rest of the crew who'd spotted Lucas with A.J in his arms.

"Foster, what happened?"

"A.J's core body temperature continued to drop and she collapsed in the back of the ambo. Casey temperature is stabilising but he's got a head injury and a a couple of cracked ribs from hitting the grate when he got caught on it. A.J's in trouble. Hypothermia and potentially she has water on her lungs from the water surge"

Boden reached out and thumped the wall. He very rarely lost his temper but he couldn't deal with the possibility of losing another life.

"Alright everybody. I'll call her dad and take 51 out of service until we know more"

The house took their seats in the Med waiting room. They'd all spent too much time there over the years and they knew it could be a long wait.

Severide and Kidd curled up next to each other, and the rest of the crew sat silently. Cruz was struggling. The last time he was here, he lost Otis. He knew he wouldn't cope with another loss. A.J had given him an opportunity to talk and work through so much of what he was feeling. She'd basically given him his life back. It wasn't fair that she was now possibly going to lose hers and yet again, there was nothing he could do about it.

A.J's Dad has turned up shortly afterwards and sat with the crew as they waited for more news.

After a couple of hours went by, Dr Halstead came out to speak to them all.

"Casey is stable and awake. He's on pain meds for his cracked ribs though so he's drowsy. A.J's core temp is still too low. It's going to be touch and go for a while but we've got her on warm saline and wrapped in heated blankets and we're monitoring her for secondary drowning from the water she swallowed"

"Thanks Doc" her Dad answered.

They were all relieved that Casey was OK but kept their reverie to a minimum at the thought of A.J. She'd saved Casey's life and as a result, was now was clinging to her own

"I should have taken her place" Kelly said.

"No Severide. It was the right decision. There's no guarantee you wouldn't have been in the same position now had you gone in" Kidd answered, trying to snap Kelly out of his guilt. He hated people got hurt when he wasn't able to control the situation. "Let's go and see Casey k?"

A.J's Dad has been allowed to go and sit with her.

Kelly, Kidd, Cruz and Hermann went in to see Casey. He was asleep but they sat around with him.

"A.J" Casey muttered. "What's going on?" He started to panic and thrash around. Kelly was next to him straight away.

"Calm down bud. We're right here"

Casey came around a little more. "What happened?" He moaned as the aching wracked through his body. Everything hurt.

"You don't remember?" Asked Hermann.

"Nothing after getting to the crash site"

"You we're trying to secure a vehicle to be pulled back from the edge of the bridge but the vehicle moved and you went over the edge. A.J went in after you and found you further down the river snagged on a grate. We pulled you both out but the cold was too much on her body and she'd swallowed a lot water. She deteriorated in the ambo. Her core temp is still low but she's being monitored. You've got concussion and two cracked ribs. You were on the edge of hyperthermia but they managed to bring your temp up quickly. Get some rest captain. We're all here for both of you"

"Wanna see A.J"

Kidd opened his curtain and he could see A.J through the glass partition. She looked so small and fragile surrounded by heated blankets. He could see the saline drip and her heart monitor moving slowly. They'd put a tube in to protect her airway. He couldn't stop the small tear escaping from his eye. It had only been a few months but he was totally head over heels for her. He hated that she was in such bad shape because of him.

Like Kelly could hear his though process, he placed his hand on Casey's shoulder.

"Matty, it's not your fault. She knew the risks but she also knew she was the only one who could have gotten to you that quickly. She knew what she was doing. She had extra equipment in that kit bag of hers and Kidd said she had her wetsuit on underneath her turnout gear. She was totally fearless"

"Is"

"What?"

"Is totally fearless"

"That she is buddy, that she is. Now get some rest k?"

Casey spent the night in hospital having his concussion monitored but stayed with A.J. She'd woken up later the next day and found him curled up in the chair next to her having refused to leave her side. He'd sent her dad home to get some rest with the promise he'd call him as soon as she woke up.

Thankfully, there wasn't enough water on her lungs to cause any serious side effects and once her temperature stabilised she was doing much better. Over the next couple of days, her brothers at the house had been in and out to check on her and her dad had brought some clothes round for her.

"Matthew. Thank you for making my daughter so happy" her Dad had said when Matt had tried to apologise for what had happened.

"Whilst it didn't work out between her mom and I, there was never bad blood between us. When I saw her doing so well with the LFB, I was so incredibly proud. A.J has never done anything to anything less than perfect but it made her closed off and cold, and when her mom died and she came back here and told me everything she'd gone through, I was amazed she was still standing. I've seen a massive difference in her the last few months and I know it's because of you and the guys at 51."

Matt smiled at A.J's Dad. "She's been an amazing addition to the house. We've been through hell and back recently so to have someone that has just been so supportive and understanding has been what we needed. She makes me happy and, even after a short time, I honestly couldn't imagine my life without her"


	5. Chapter 5

***CHAPTER 5***

Both Casey and A.J had returned to work a couple of weeks after the incident in the river. They'd spent most of their recovery time together and her Dad had spent time with them getting to know Casey, but they were both getting cabin fever so were glad to return to work. Thankfully the first few calls of their shift were all straight forward. They were both more than happy with the lack of drama.

Casey had been sat in his office when he spotted A.J heading towards Boden. Boden nodded at her and they went towards his office. Casey knew it was probably a private conversation considering he hadn't been asked to go, but something made him get up and follow them. The door closed before he got there so he stood outside. He caught some of the conversation.

"Chief. Thank you for everything this house has done for me. It's certainly been a crazy 7 months"

"That it has! It's been a pleasure to work with you A.J. You want me to make an announcement or do you want to do it?"

"I'll do it. I wanna talk to Casey first anyway"

"Fair enough"

Casey had heard enough. He knew everything had been going too well and it was only a matter of time before it fell apart on him again. He was heartbroken and angry that she'd planned to leave without telling him. They'd had all the time in the world to discuss it whilst off work. He came to the conclusion that she obviously didn't feel the same way as him. Casey stalked back to his office and slammed the door.

Mouch and Hermann heard the door slam and looked at each other wondering what they had missed. Two minutes later they spotted A.J leave Boden's office and make her way towards Casey's. Being nosey, they crouched down under Casey's office window. Severide had spotted what was going on and couldn't help himself so he joined them. He knew it was wrong to spy on his best friend but he had never been one to miss out on anything that went on in the house. They listened to the conversation.

"when are you leaving?"

"you were listening in?"

" I. Ermm."

"you ermm what Matthew?"

Severide flinched when she used Casey's full first name. She was not happy. Hermann screwed his face up, but couldn't help but snicker to himself a little. A.J clearly had Casey by the balls and wasn't letting go any time soon.

"I'm leaving next week."

"Next week?! When were you going to tell me?"

"Now! I was coming to speak to you about it, but you listened in so now you know. Thanks for ruining the surprise!"

"You say surprise like it's good news"

"Well I had hoped you would be happy for me. For us!"

"Happy to see you walk away from 51 and everything we've talked about?"

"Casey, what the hell are you talking about?"

"when is your flight?"

"my flight where?"

" To London"

"you didn't to eavesdrop on the whole conversation?"

"I'd heard enough. I'm just angry you didn't think to discuss this with me first"

"You're an idiot Matt Casey. You honestly think so little of me to think I'd have gone back to London without discussing it with you first?"

"I. Ermmm"

"Use your words Casey. You obviously have me and my life all figured out"

Casey couldn't answer because he realised how stupid he'd been.

"Well. I better give you an explanation but before I do, the rest of 51 are currently gathered outside your window listening in. Shall we invite them in as well?"

A.J opened the door and sure enough, the rest of 51 were crouched under the window trying to listen in to the argument that had begun.

"Come on in! We might as well make this a family affair!"

They all looked a bit nervous since they'd never seen A.J angry before, but they shuffled towards the door to Matt's office. It wasn't big enough to fit everyone in so they just gathered around.

"Yes. I am leaving 51. No, I am not going back to London. In fact if this one", she said pointing to Casey, "had gotten his head out of his ass and bothered to eavesdrop on the rest of the conversation, he'd had known I'm not even leaving Chicago. I've been asked to head up 5-1-5 SCUBA under Special Ops Command and I've accepted. I even get a new suit that will actually keep out your ridiculous water temperatures!"

"Are you serious?" Asked Kelly.

"No, I'm just going back to London without telling any of you! Yes of course I'm serious"

"Congratulations!" Kelly said lifting her up in to a hug. All the others gathered round to congratulate her as well.

As he put A.J down, she turned to Casey. The rest of the house took that as their cue to leave A.J and Casey to have a private conversation.

"Casey, look at me" she said, placing a finger on his chin and lifting his head up from where he couldn't bring himself to look at her.

"I'm a little hurt you couldn't trust me enough to have come to you when I was ready. I spoke to the Chief first because he'd received the call. When I came back to Chicago, I took some time meeting the departments I had the qualifications to join and one of them was SCUBA. Their Captain was considering retiring but until he did, there was no space for me. I had an interview and met with the team and it was agreed that I could join 51 until something came up. I didn't know it would be this quick but after our little adventure, I got a call to say he had decided to retire and the space was open when I was cleared for duty. Cruz has requested to move back to Squad, which we knew he would and I've spoken to the Chief about Gallo. He's yours. So yes. I am leaving, but I'm not leaving you."

Casey had listening intently to everything A.J had to say.

"What did I do to deserve you"

"Punishment for your sins in a past life Matthew Casey" she answered with a smirk on her face.

"Well I'll take that punishment. I'm so proud of you baby"

"I love you Casey. But promise me one thing? Don't go jumping in to any more rivers please? No matter how much you might want to see my face on shift!"

Casey laughed. "Trust me, the only swimming I'll doing anytime soon will be in a heated Jacuzzi"

"As long as I can join you!"

"Wouldn't have it any other way!"

THE END


End file.
